Women's basketball signs five

For Immediate Release

05.12.10

REDDING, Calif. – Simpson University women’s basketball coach Derrick Pringle announced on Monday the signing of five student-athletes to letters of intent. Haley Smith, Crystal Carpenter, Melanie Shank, Rayneiqua Edwards, and Taylor Labosky will join the Red Hawks for the 2010-2011 season.

“Each new recruit is strong athletically, and we are looking forward to the future of the program,” said Pringle. Smith joins the Red Hawks from Vancouver, Wash., where she was a standout student-athlete at Camas High School, playing four years of varsity. Her athletic honors include being a 4A District Champion, All-League, and a Les Schwab Roundball Shoot All-Star Game MVP. The 6-foot center also averaged 9.3 points per game, 10 rebounds, 77 percent from the free-throw line, and 42 percent from the field. Smith plans to major in communication at Simpson.

"Haley is a very talented basketball player with a tremendous upside,” said Pringle. “She has the potential to jump in right away and be an asset to team. Off the court she has great character and is a great student. We are extremely lucky to have a player of her caliber.”

A 6-foot center from Eureka, Carpenter joins Simpson University after playing two years of college basketball at College of the Redwoods. Previously she played three years of varsity at Saint Bernard’s High School where she earned High School All-Conference. Carpenter plans to earn her degree in psychology.

Coach Pringle said, “Crystal is an extremely hard worker and a great teammate. We are very excited that she chose Simpson and look forward to seeing her grow during the next couple years.”

A 5-foot-8 forward from Tacoma, Wash., Shank joins the Red Hawks after playing four years of varsity at Tacoma Baptist High School. She averaged 18.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.6 steals per game. Her athletic honors include being 13th in the state of Washington in scoring (1,400 points), Second Team All-State, Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Tacoma News Tribune, and Maxpreps.com First Team for the state of Washington. Shanks will enroll in Simpson’s education program in the fall.

“Melanie is a very smart basketball player with a deadly jump shot,” said Pringle. “She can play multiple positions and is very aggressive on the defensive end of the court. She has the potential to be a great leader.”

Edwards, a 5-foot-8 guard, joins the Red Hawks from Freeport, Ill., where she attended Idaho State University. She earned honorable mention in high school. Edwards plans to enroll in Simpson’s psychology program.

“Rayneiqua is an extraordinary athlete who can play several different positions,” said Pringle. “She has a great passion for the game of basketball. Rayneiqua’s leadership skills and college experience will be huge for our program. We look forward to her growth and development at Simpson.”

Labosky, a 5-foot-6 guard from Chester, earned All-Conference and Team MVP at Chester High School. She averaged 14.7 points per game. She will enroll in the pre-nursing program at Simpson.

“Taylor has a great high school career, and we look forward to seeing her have a great college career at Simpson,” said Pringle. “She is a standout student and athlete.”